What is better after a stressful day or semester than a bit of retail therapy. Flipping through racks of clothing, shelves of lotions, or rows of shoes. Or maybe you have landed your dream job and can finally head to car lot and get a new set of wheels. Well what is a dream without pulling out all the stops, why not have a glamorous designer bag to go with the dream job and car. But have you ever thought about who owns and runs these major brands that we all know and love? I must admit that I did not really start thinking about these types of things until I started taking this course. You would be surprised by the number of popular companies and brands were not started in the United States but have become very popular and common all over America. I know for me personally when I find out that a certain brand wasn’t started in the United States, I automatically wonder how they got their start selling their product in America and became a popular household name in this county. We will be examining popular international brands within the United States, how they became popular in the United Stated, and what makes them special or unique.
This first brand is one that I have a bit of personal knowledge of because I actually own a vehicle made by Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW). This brand is known for the luxury vehicles that they make and the ever so popular logo that appears on the front and back of their vehicles. This brand is one that is on the higher price bracket for the various brands that we will look at. BWM did not start their first dealership in the United States until 1975, which means they have not even been sold in the United States for fifty years yet have made such an impact. Back in 2016, the BMW brand was the 12th highest selling brand in the United States. For many the BMW vehicles are viewed as being classy, prestigious luxury vehicles. The state that sells the most BMW’s annually is Florida, which in some ways makes since. Many make Florida synonymous with being a magnet state for Baby boomers who have retired after decades of working for various companies. Being that by the age of retirement they can allow themselves to splurge on a nice luxury car to cruise around town in. BMW has a way of making their customers feel the level of care and prestige that their purchase has afforded them. The dealerships are well decorated, they have nice trinkets for BWM owners like hats, scarves, cups and much more. BMW makes their customers feel as though their money was well spent.
This next brand is a bit more cost efficient and accessible; this brand is Adidas. Adidas is a German company that has really taken off in the United States. Adidas is one of the largest footwear companies in the world. The company started to create a buzz in the US in the seventies. During the “Fight of the Century” between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, the two opponents both wore Adidas boxing shoes. At the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, Adidas was the official sponsor. If you look at some of your favorite college sports teams, there sporting gear my be Adidas. Adidas bought Valley Apparel Company, which was the company known know for outfitting over 140 collegiate sports teams, which afforded them the opportunity to work with various athletic departments at these colleges. They also went on to purchase Reebok in order for them to decrease their competition in order compete directly with Nike. This tactic of purchasing competing companies in not uncommon among international companies and in not cases allows for the proceeds of the smaller companies that they own to fund larger projects for their main company. Adidas has become a household name because of their innovative marketing tactics.
A similarity that I noticed between the companies that I chose to examine is that they both are particular about placement and image. What I mean by that is, you will not find a BMW dealership in just any city without reason and the same goes for Adidas. I know when I have traveled to larger cities in the past it has been more common for me to see independent Adidas outlet stores, where as that might be an option for a smaller that they would give the store as much traffic it needed, to sustain profitability. I will say that BMW does have some very creative ideas for their commercials, but I certainly do not see their commercial air as frequently other car brands. In the event that you do catch one of their commercials it is not even to force you to purchase a car, but rather just show you the luxury of life while in a BMW. International brands certainly made a place for themselves in America and seem to be prepared to stay.
WORKS CITED
https://www.thoughtco.com/quick-history-of-adidas-1444319
Comments
Post a Comment